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Atom Efficiency in the Manufacture of Chemicals
Industry
Oil refining
Product tonnage Kg by-products /
Kg product
106 - 108
< 0.1
Bulk chemicals
104 - 106
1-5
Fine chemicals
102 - 104
5 - 50+
Pharmaceuticals
10 - 103
25 - 100+
Most chemical reactions make more waste than product!
… note the recent statement from the GSK CEO…we need more
people willing to challenge the “accepted limits”www.greenchemistry.net
Pressures on the Chemical Industry
Across the Lifecycle
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Introduction
What is Green Chemistry?
• Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and
processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of
hazardous substances
• Discovery and application of new chemistry/technology
leading to prevention/reduction of environmental, health and
safety impacts at source
Energy
Risk &
Hazard
Materials
Reducing
Cost
Nonrenewables
Waste
4
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Green Chemistry is about
turning a waste into a product
and a cost into a profit
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Waste is tomorrows resource
We have converted virgin resources to waste
and we now need to encourage the greater use of
chemically rich waste as a resource
www.greenchemistry.net
bio-adhesives
nanocomposites
phenols
sugars
hydrophobes
pectin
starch
Food supply chain
residues
chitosan
collagen
lignin
waxes
hemicellulose
films
cosmetic waxes
hydrogels
natural dyes
Liquid fuels
chemical
monomers
solid fuels
bio-surfactants
PVC replacements
cellulose
natural chelants
bio-solvents
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Activity Areas
The Centre’s Activities can be groups into 4 areas:
• Research
• Industry collaboration
• Education, including
development of teaching and
promotional materials
• Networking with all chemical
stakeholders
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Natural Solvents
Science Leader Dr Andrew Hunt
We are interested in supercritical and liquid
carbon dioxide as an extraction, fractionation and
reaction medium with projects covering areas
such as the extraction of waxes from agricultural
and food waste for personal care (and other)
applications, and the synthesis of flavour and
aroma molecules using in-situ biocatalysis.
Funding comes from the University, METRC and
industry. We have excellent supercritical fluid
extraction facilities and access to scale-up
facilities.
www.greenchemistry.net
Greener Solvents
Inorganic
Petroleum
Biomass
Solvents
Conventional
+
Neoteric
(e.g. Ionic
Liquids)
CO2 + Water
Ethanol
Ethyl acetate
Ethyl lactate
Glycerol
2-MeTHF
‘Natural’ solvents
www.greenchemistry.net
Case Study 1
Extraction with Super-critical CO2
100
OH
HO
Polyphenols
OH
O
O
75
Phospholipids
Lipids & Waxes
oC
Carotenoids
50
Sterol monoglycosides
Alkaloids
Diterpenes
25
Sterols
Lipids
Phenolics
Terpenoids
11
10
20
MPa
30
40
100
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Extractables…….…Eco-waxes
Cosmetic Products
Semiochemicals
Wheat straw
ScCO2 extraction
Wax products
Health Products
- Strawboard
- Garden Mulch
- Pulp & Paper
-Bioethanol
Lignocellulose
-Electricity
Renewable resource+CO2 extraction = EU “natural”
www.greenchemistry.net
Renewable Materials
Science Leader Dr Avtar Matharu
For us this means the physical and chemical
modification of natural abundant materials and
especially polysaccharides. Projects include
Starbons (new carbonaceous materials derived
from starch), new “bio-boards” made entirely of
green and sustainable components, novel
switchable adhesives, new intumescent flame
retardants, and PVC replacements.
Funding comes from industry, EPSRC, DEFRA
and TSB. The area is supported by state-of-theart thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy and
extrusion equipment.
www.greenchemistry.net
Materials……
Switchable adhesives for carpet tiles
(InterfaceFlor)
Recyclable
Diverting millions of Kg pa from landfill www.greenchemistry.net
Clean Synthesis and
Platform Molecules
Science Leader Dr Simon Breeden
Very much our root area with interests covering the
use of solid catalysts and alternative solvents to
“green” reactions.
Recently we have become especially interested in
doing clean synthesis starting from molecules and
mixtures derived from biomass (eg using
fermentation broths).
We have funding in this area from industry,
EPSRC, METRC, and GSK.
www.greenchemistry.net
Microwave Chemistry
Science Leader Dr Duncan MacQuarrie
This brings together our long-standing interest in
microwave-assisted chemistry with our more
recent interest in the conversion of biomass (eg
forestry and agricultural wastes, food waste, etc) to
useful products. With substantial funding from
ERDF, Carbon Trust, METRC and industry we are
starting major new projects on fast pyrolysis for
the production of liquid fuels, high calorific value
chars and chemical intermediates.
A major part of this is the design and build of new
continuous microwave processors, with the final
semi-scale prototype to be located outside the
GCC.
www.greenchemistry.net
Advantages of MW Heating
•
Rapid internal heating
•
Uniform heating
•
•
•
Instant control
Acceleration of reaction rate
Selective interaction with active groups
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Microwave Processing of Biomass
Extracted
oil
Biomass
Microwave
processor
Pyrolysis
Oil
Energy
Char
Low temperature
Wide range of
feedstock
+
Flexibility of Microwave
Parameters
(time, temperature, power)
=
Wide range of
products
www.greenchemistry.net
Microwave Processing of Biomass
Rape Seed Example
30
19
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Biomass Pretreatment
Supercritical CO2 extraction
Microwave
processing
Starbonisation
Ammonia
fibre explosion
Fermentation
Higher value
products
21
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Industry
Education
Any questions?
www.greenchemistry.net
mark.gronnow@york.ac.uk
Research
Networking
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